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Ankama
Created by Anthony Roux, Camille Chafer and Emmanuel Darras in 2001, Ankama describes itself as "an independent digital creation group focused on the entertainment industry."http://www.ankama.com/en/company Using a strong transmedia strategy, the company is mostly active in video games, publishing and animation, but also in areas such as board gaming and music production. In addition to its flagship products in the Dofus and Wakfu settings (collectively, the Krosmoz), it acts as a producer and distributor for several other franchises and independent creators. It employs more than 450 employess in its headquarters on the Boulevard d'Armentières in Roubaix, France,http://www.ankama.com/en/company/locals with other locations operating in countries such as Japan, Canada, Brazil and Singapore. Company history ;2001 *Ankama Web, an interactive communication agency, is founded by Anthony Roux, Camille Chafer and Emmanuel Darras. The name of the company comes from the first two letters of each founder's name: ANthony, (K)Amille and MAnu (a common nickname for Emmanuel). ;2003 *The team decides to branch off into gaming with the creation of the Ankama Games group and the development of a mobile game called Moon, but the project turns into the Flash-based MMORPG Dofus. ;2004 *Released in 2004, Dofus is the first MMORPG in France and wins the Best Game and Public Choice awards at Flash Festival in France. After 10 years, it remains in the top 5 most played MMOs in Europe.10 Years of DOFUS Artbook ;2005 *Creation of Ankama Éditions for the publication of DOFUS Manga, which has become the most read French manga as of 201310 Years of DOFUS Artbook. This success is emphasized by the fact that Ankama Éditions was created in response to DOFUS being rejected by every other publisher. ;2007 *Ankama Animations is formed in 2007, and the short animation Goultard le Barbare is created and presented at Japan Expo. *Ankama Presse is formed and begins publication of Dofus Mag and IG Magazine. ;2008 *Wakfu (animated series) airs on France 3 and goes on to become one of the most iconic products of Ankama. As of October 2015, it has been aired in 17 languages and over 100 territories (including Netflix online streaming).Press release: Ankama brings a strong line-up to MIPCOM *The first Ankama Convention is organized, followed by AC 2 and 3 the same year. These popular events are used to showcase new and upcoming releases and game content while giving the community a chance to meet in real life and participate in contests, cosplay, autograph sessions, etc. The following years see additional Conventions and similar events in addition to Ankama's presence in mainstream events. ;2009 *Launch of Wakfu TCG, Ankama's collectible card game. This is their largest physical game project at the time, with several expansions releasing over a few years, organized play and championships. It will be terminated in 2011, having failed to reach profitability. *The Ankama Japan studio is founded in Tokyo. ;2012 *The Krosmaster franchise is revealed, providing a new scene for organized play after Wakfu TCG's end and filling the niche of tactical player-versus-player gameplay that Dofus Arena had previously targeted. Spanning both online play and several tabletop formats, the game steadily gains popularity within the country and without. Available in multiple languages, it even gains notoriety in North America, where it is distributed by Japanime Games. ;2013 *The animated series Dofus: Kerub's Bazaar airs on French TV, followed by some other European countries. It marks the rise of Joris as a new character linking the Dofus and Wakfu eras across media, a role previously filled by Goultard. ;2014 *The company launches a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to support the dubbing of Wakfu in English and help the company find broadcasters abroad. Over 5,000 backers contribute, exceeding the goal several times over (raising more than $480,000 CAD) and allowing the dubbing of both seasons, including Mini-Wakfu, and all special episodes and OVAs except Goultard le Barbare. This leads to the show making its way to Netflix and being broadcast on Australian television. ;2016 *For the first time, Ankama enters cinemas with its first feature-length movie, Dofus Book I: Julith. Set a few years after Kerub's Bazaar, it gives center stage to Joris and delves into his origins. Corporate logos References Category:Ankama